Developing School Threat Notification Policies that Fit School

1
Developing School Threat Notification Policies
that Fit School Community Needs

• Craig D. Apperson
• Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
• Olympia, Washington
• October 2002
• E-mail capperson_at_ospi.wednet.edu

2
Washington States 2002 Legislative Response to
School Safety Issues

• Requires model policy development for
• Senate Bill 5543--Comprehensive safe schools
  planning model, incorporating prevention,
  intervention, crisis response, and post-crisis
  recovery and key safety stakeholder involvement.
• House Bill 1444Bullying and harassment in
  schools.
• Senate Bill 6351Notification of threats of harm
  or violence in schools.

3
Goal of Washington States School Threat
Notification Law (SSB 6351)

• By September 1, 2003, each school district shall
• adopt a policy that addresses
• (a) Procedures for providing notice of threats
  of violence or harm to the student or school
  employee that is the subject of the threat
• (b) A definition of threats of violence or
  harm and
• (c) Whether or not any such threat of violence
  or harm made by a student may be grounds for
  immediate suspension or expulsion of the
  student.

4
Washington States School Threat Notification Law
(SSB 6351)

• OBJECTIVE The superintendent of public
  instruction, in consultation with educators and
  representatives of law enforcement, classified
  staff, and organizations with expertise in
  violence prevention and intervention, shall adopt
  a model policy that includes the issues listed in
  subsection (1) of this section by January 1,
  2003. The model policy shall be posted on the
  superintendent of public instructions website.

5
Elements of Washington States School Threat
Notification Law

• 1. Procedures for providing notice of threats
  of violence or harm to the student or school
  employee who is the subject of the threat. The
  policy shall define threats of violence or
  harm

6
Elements of Washington States School Threat
Notification Law (Continued)

• 2. Procedures for disclosing information that
  is provided to the school administrators about a
  students conduct, including but not limited
  to the students prior disciplinary records,
  official juvenile court records, and history of
  violence, to classroom teachers, school staff,
  and school security who, in the judgment of the
  principal, should be notified and

7
Elements of Washington States School Threat
Notification Law (Continued)

• 3. Procedures for determining whether or not
  any threats or conduct established in the
  policy may be grounds for suspension or
  expulsion of the student.

8
Reasons for Adopting School Threat Notification
Regulations Policies

• Promotes a safe, supportive learning environment
  in schools.
• Addresses a growing concern for the schools risk
  management issues regarding safety.
• Is consistent with existing workplace safety
  regulations (i.e., workplace violence
  prevention).
• Provides for enhanced consistency between school
  districts addressing similar problems.

9
School Violence Risk Factors from FBI Report on
School Violence

• Elements of a school environment that promote the
  potential for violence include
• Lack of attachment to school
• School tolerance of disrespectful misconduct
• Inequitable discipline methods
• Inflexible school culture, emphasizing
  superiority-inferiority elements amongst students
• Code of silence reinforces lack of accountability
  
• Unsupervised access to computers

10
U. S. Secret Service Study on School Violence

• The Secret Services study of school
• students who engaged in acts of severe
• violence involving death found that
• school-based incidents of targeted
• violence are rarely impulsive. The
• attacks are typically the end result of an
• understandable and often discernable
• process of thinking and behavior.  

11
U. S. Secret Service School Violence Perpetrator
Characteristics

• Over half of the attackers formed the idea of the
  attack over two weeks prior to the attack.
• Over half had revenge as a primary motive.
• Over ¾ planned the attack.
• Over ¾ had unresolved grievances with
  school-related individuals, and most had
  communicated those grievances to others.
• Most perpetrators (3/4) communicated their intent
  to attack others prior to the incident, usually a
  peer or friend.

12
U. S. Secret Service research has revealed that
planned attacks often employ the following
strategies

• Development of the idea about attacking the
  target(s)
• Communication of attack-related ideas
• Inappropriate interest in target(s), weapons,
  violent groups, or violent acts
• Following/stalking the target(s)
• Approaching target(s) with lethal means

13
Threats of Violence in Schools What Are the
Risks?

• The only published controlled study addressing
• the connection between threats and violent
• behavior in a school environment indicated
• More than half of adolescent males threatened
  someone.
• The most frequent behavior associated with a
  threat was hitting someone after being hit.
• Males were more likely to beat someone up after a
  threat than were females.

14
Threats of Violence in Schools (Continued)

• Students who threatened were 3 to 4 times more
  likely than non-threateners to engage in violent
  behavior.
• Students who threatened others INFREQUENTLY were
  more likely to engage in more serious violent
  behavior compared with frequent threateners or
  non-threateners.
• Students who threatened others FREQUENTLY engaged
  in the widest array of violent behaviors,
  including hitting others, attacking others with a
  knife, and shooting at others.
• 32 of male high school students indicated they
  beat someone up, 9 indicated they attacked
  someone with a knife, and 18 indicated they
  shot at someone after making a threat.

15
Violence Relationship Dynamics__________________
_________________________________________________
Victim
Situation
Environment
Perpetrator
16
How Dangerous Are Schools? School Crime Report
Data CY 2000

• 7-8 percent of students reported serious threats.
• 15 percent of high school students reported being
  in fights.
• 9 percent of students reported active avoidance
  of school areas because of fear of assault.
• 33 percent of students reported someone attempted
  to sell them drugs on school property.
• From 1992-97, an annual average of 44 public
  school teachers reported being assaulted in
  Washington State.

17
Current Research on the Relationship Between
Violent Deaths and Threats

• From 1994-1999 (JAMA Report December 2001)
• School homicides with one victim decreased.
• School homicides with multiple victims increased.
• Nearly 55 of these incidents involved a prior
  note, threat, or other action indicating risk for
  violence.
• Summary Although school-associated violent
  deaths remain rare events, they have occurred
  often enough to allow for the detection of
  patterns and the identification of risk factors.

18
Washington States Supportive Learning
Environment Model

• A learning environment that is safe, civil,
• healthy and intellectually stimulating
• where students are engaged in learning
• and are committed to acquiring the
• knowledge, attitudes, skills and behaviors
• to succeed in the 21st century. Such an
• environment must be supported by
• weaving together the resources of
• students, families, communities, and
• school staff.

19
(No Transcript)
20
Elements of OSPIs Supportive Learning
Environment Model
Re-establishing normal functioning
21
Goals for School Safety PoliciesCDC Guidelines
to Prevent Unintentional Injury, Violence, and
Suicide in Schools

1. A social environment that promotes safety.
2. A safe physical environment.
3. Health education curricula and instruction.
4. Safe physical education, sports, and recreational
   activities.
5. Health, counseling, psychological, and social
   services for students.
6. Appropriate crisis and emergency response.
7. Involvement of families and communities.
8. Staff development to promote safety prevent
   unintentional injuries, violence, suicide.

22
Policy Development Process

• Supportive Learning Environment Model
• Comprehensive Safe Schools Plan

Issues Prevention Intervention Crisis Response Recovery
Comprehen-sive Safety
Harassment
Threats of Violence
23
Multi-Disciplinary Safety Planning
Stakeholders

• Administrators
• Teachers
• Classified Staff
• Students
• Parents
• Emergency Responders
• Social Service Agencies

DISTRICT- BASED PLAN
BUILDING- BASED PLAN
24
Developing Guidelines for School Threat
Notification Policies

• ASSUMPTIONS
• The Supportive Learning Environment model
  functions as the over-arching framework within
  which policies are designed implemented,
  providing a goal-oriented approach to policy
  development.
• Inter-disciplinary approaches to problem-solving
  and program development are essential.
  Partnerships must be consistent with all-hazards
  safety stakeholders.

25
Developing Guidelines for School Threat
Notification Policies (Continued)

• A structured referral system facilitated by
  professionals with advanced training and
  experience should be established and maintained.
• Training programs should emphasize prevention and
  early intervention methods to offset the need for
  crisis response and post-crisis recovery.

26
Elements of a Workplace Violence Prevention
Policy(U.S. Office of Personnel Management)

• A workplace violence policy statement should
  convey that
• ? All employees are responsible for maintaining
  a safe work environment
• ? The policy covers not only acts of physical
  violence, but harassment, intimidation and other
  disruptive behavior
• ? The policy covers incidents involving
  coworkers and incidents involving individuals
  from out side the agency perpetrating violence
  against agency employees
• ? The agency will respond appropriately to all
  reported incidents tha agency will act to stop
  inappropriate behavior and,
• ? Supervisors and all of the offices involved in
  responding to incidents will be supported by
  agency management in their efforts to deal with
  violent and potentially violent situations.

27
Preliminary Work Plan

• Review of legal limitations of notification
  relative to FERPA and other related laws and
  regulations.
• Solicit existing school threat notification
  policies.
• Address limitations of notification relative to
  Special Education.
• Solicit perspectives of stakeholders regarding
  preferred methods for notification.

28
Preliminary Work Plan (Continued)

• Distinguish requirement of disclosure of transfer
  student records versus continuing students.
• Assess legal limitations on the sharing of
  student histories of misconduct, juvenile court
  records, and criminal conduct.
• Establish guidelines for principals decision to
  share information.
• Determine legal and professional standards
  relative to the duty to warn and the duty to
  protect potential victims of violence.

29
Example of a School Threat Notification Policy
Statement

• Dallas, Texas Public Schools
• All threats of violence must be reported to the
  principal by students and school personnel to
  ensure safety. All threats will be taken
  seriously. When a student makes a threat the
  school principal must determine whether it is a
  terroristic threat or a threat of a less serious
  nature.

30
Example of a School Workplace Violence Prevention
Policy Statement

• San Diego State University
• (A)cts and/or threats of violence against the
  life, health, well-being, family or property of
  individuals in the workplace or in connection
  with an employees conduct ofbusinesswill not
  be tolerated. Any such acts or threats by
  employeestoward others may be grounds for
  immediate dismissalwhether or not the employee
  making the threat intended to carry it out.
• Employees may be better prepared to avoid or
  prevent violence if they are able to recognize
  early warning signs in advance and follow
  appropriate response procedures.